Bio

Dr. Moskatel is internist with fellowship training in headache medicine and board certification in internal medicine. He is a clinical assistant professor in the Stanford University School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Division of Headache.

His practice at the Stanford Health Care Headache Clinic focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of all forms of headache. Patients come to him seeking relief from migraine, cluster, and tension headaches.

Dr. Moskatel teaches headache medicine to medical students and supervises resident physicians in the Stanford Health Care Headache Clinic.

He conducts research into migraine and diet, medication overuse headache, and long-lasting headache after COVID-19. He has written articles on these and other topics. They have appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Headache, Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, Annals of Headache Medicine, and Pain Medicine.

Dr. Moskatel has reviewed the content of articles written by other doctors for the journals Headache and Pain Medicine. The publication Annals of Internal Medicine awarded him a letter of commendation as outstanding reviewer.

He has co-authored textbook chapters on migraine and diet and on headache treatments. He has presented his research discoveries to his peers at meetings of the World Headache Society and other organizations.

Dr. Moskatel volunteers his time to serve both professional and community organizations. He speaks English and Hebrew fluently and reads French.

Clinical Focus

  • Internal Medicine

Academic Appointments

Professional Education

  • Board Certification: United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties, Headache Medicine (2022)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2020)
  • Fellowship: Stanford School of Medicine (2021) CA
  • Residency: Mercy Hospital and Medical Ctr (2020) CA
  • Medical Education: University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine (2017) CA

Contact

  • Academic
    moskatel@stanford.edu
    University - Academic staff Department: Neurology Position: Clinical Assistant Professor
  • Clinical Stanford Headache Clinic at Hoover Pavilion 211 Quarry Rd MC 5992 2nd Fl Stanford, CA 94305 (650) 725-0390 (fax)
  • Clinical Neurology 300 Pasteur Dr Rm H3160 MC 5235 Stanford, CA 94305 (650) 723-7434 (fax)

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 5327

All Publications

  • Headache and Dizziness after Roller Coaster Rides: A Case Series of 31 Patients CANADIAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES Moskatel, L. S., Smirnoff, L. 2022: 1-4

    Abstract

    Previous literature on roller coaster injuries focuses on catastrophic injuries. We conducted a retrospective study of 31 adults with headache or dizziness after roller coaster rides. Twenty five of 31 (81%) patients presented with new or worsening headache, predominantly migraine (15/25, 60%), including 8/25 (32%) with chronic migraine. Of the chronic migraine patients, 4/8 (50%) already had the diagnosis and presented with an exacerbation. Five of the 25 (20%) were ultimately found to have a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. While persistent symptoms appear to be relatively rare, patients with chronic migraine and potential CSF leaks should consider skipping these attractions.

    View details for DOI 10.1017/cjn.2022.315

    View details for Web of Science ID 000896788200001

    View details for PubMedID 36329659

  • Protracted headache after COVID-19: A case series of 31 patients from a tertiary headache center. Headache Moskatel, L. S., Smirnoff, L. 2022

    Abstract

    BACKGROUND: Headache can be a prominent feature of Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-Cov2 infection (PASC) and previous studies have centered around PASC headaches that have resolved within a month of infection.METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of 31 adults evaluated at the Stanford Headache Clinic between September 2020 and January 2022 who developed new or worsening headaches after COVID-19 infection that were unresolved at time of evaluation for demographics, medical history, and headache diagnosis.RESULTS: Headache had been present for a mean duration of 7.4±4.8 months after infection. Notably, 25/31 (81%) had a previous history of headache. The specific features of the headache varied considerably, but 23/31 (74%) met International Classification of Headache Disorders, Third Edition (ICHD-3) criteria for migraine, with 20/31 (65%) meeting ICHD-3 criteria for chronic migraine, while only 5/31 (16%) met these criteria before COVID infection. Additionally, full-time employment decreased from 25/31 (81%) to 17/31 (55%). Prior to establishing care at our clinic, 13/18 (72%) of the patients who were started on preventive medications currently indicated for migraine management, reported a decrease in frequency and/or severity of headaches.CONCLUSIONS: Our study presents a group of patients with protracted headache after COVID-19 infection that includes both patients with a previously lower headache burden who largely exhibited chronification from episodic to chronic migraine, as well as patients with no previous history of headache who meet ICHD-3 criteria for headache attributed to a systemic viral illness, mostly with a migrainous phenotype.

    View details for DOI 10.1111/head.14337

    View details for PubMedID 35670231

  • Migraine and Diet: Updates in Understanding. Current neurology and neuroscience reports Moskatel, L. S., Zhang, N. 2022

    Abstract

    PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We explore recent developments in the prevention and treatment of migraine through dietary interventions.RECENT FINDINGS: Healthier diets (defined in multiple ways), meal regularity, and weight loss are associated with decreased headache burden. Specific diets including the ketogenic diet, the low-glycemic index diet, and the DASH diet are supported by modest evidence for the prevention of migraine. Neither a gluten-free diet, in patients without celiac disease, nor elimination diets have sufficient evidence for their routine consideration. Diet remains a crucial, but underexplored, component of comprehensive migraine management. Multiple interventions exist for providers and patients to consider integrating into their treatment plan. Larger studies are needed to support stronger recommendations for utilization of specific dietary interventions for the prevention and treatment of migraine.

    View details for DOI 10.1007/s11910-022-01195-6

    View details for PubMedID 35482279

  • Headache Made SIMPAL: A Simple Mnemonic for the Approach to Headache Evaluation and Migraine Treatment. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) Migdal, C. W., Moskatel, L. S., Schuster, N. M. 2021; 22 (3): 754–58

    View details for DOI 10.1093/pm/pnaa429

    View details for PubMedID 33735383

  • Staphylococcus intermedius Brain Abscess as a Complication of Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation in a Patient With Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES Moskatel, L. S., Vo, J. N., Nayak, K. R., Crum-Cianflone, N. F. 2020; 7 (11): ofaa467

    Abstract

    Staphylococcus intermedius is a rare cause of human infections ranging from skin and soft tissue infections to bacteremia. It is particularly known for its association with exposure to dogs. We report an unusual case of a 73-year-old female with a brain abscess caused by S intermedius who was recently diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and a pulmonary arteriovenous malformation. The patient underwent debridement of the brain abscess followed by a 6-week course of vancomycin and rifampin, after which she made a near complete recovery. This is the first case of a brain abscess in an adult due to S intermedius in the published literature, and we provide a comprehensive review of the literature of all human infections caused by this pathogen and summarize its clinical manifestations, treatment recommendations, and outcomes.

    View details for DOI 10.1093/ofid/ofaa467

    View details for Web of Science ID 000604521300025

    View details for PubMedID 33209954

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7652099